Desktop App
Bob Studio is available as a native desktop application for macOS and Windows. The desktop app provides features that aren't possible in the browser, including system audio capture and menu bar integration.
Key features
- System audio recording - Capture both microphone and system audio (e.g., a remote meeting) in a single recording, with echo reduction on the microphone track when system audio is available
- Menu bar icon - Quick access to recordings and app controls from the system tray / menu bar
- Safe local recovery - Desktop recordings are saved locally while you record, then uploaded automatically when the app is ready
- Launch at login - Automatically start Bob Studio when you log in
- Auto-updates - The app checks for updates and prompts you to install them
- Deep link authentication - Log in via magic link without copy-pasting tokens
Menu bar icon
When running the desktop app, a Bob Studio icon appears in the macOS menu bar (or Windows system tray). Clicking it reveals a menu with quick actions:
- Status indicator - Shows the number of active recordings (e.g., "● 1 recording active")
- ⏺ Start recording - Begin a standalone recording without navigating to the app (disabled while a recording is already active)
- ⏹ Stop all recordings - Stop all active recordings at once
- Show Bob Studio - Bring the main window to the front
- Launch at login - Toggle whether the app starts automatically at login (checkbox)
- Quit Bob Studio - Close the application
You can start a recording directly from the menu bar without opening the app window. The recording runs in the background until you stop it.
Desktop App settings
In Settings → Desktop App (visible only in the desktop app), you can configure:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Menu bar icon | Show or hide the Bob Studio icon in the menu bar / system tray | On |
| Launch at login | Automatically start the app when you log in | On |
| Noise and echo reduction | Reduce speaker echo and background noise in microphone recordings | On |
Audio recording
The desktop app uses native audio capture for higher quality and system audio support.
What you can do
- Record microphone - Capture audio from any connected microphone
- Record system audio - Capture audio playing on your computer (meeting calls, presentations, etc.)
- Combined recording - Microphone and system audio are mixed into a single Opus-encoded file
- Reduce speaker echo - When system audio capture is available, Bob Studio uses it as a reference to reduce speaker playback leaking back into the microphone
- Recover interrupted uploads - Keep recordings safe even if the app closes, the laptop restarts, or the network is unavailable
If you prefer the raw microphone signal, you can turn off Noise and echo reduction in Settings -> Desktop App.
On the desktop app, recordings are written to local storage while you are recording. If the app closes unexpectedly or the upload cannot finish, Bob Studio restores the local file on the next launch and retries the upload after you sign in and select the correct workspace.
AI transcription starts only after the recording file has finished uploading successfully. If you briefly see a "waiting for audio upload" status, the recording is still safe on your device.
Permissions (macOS)
On macOS, the app requires the following permissions:
| Permission | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Required for all recordings. The app prompts you on first use. |
| Screen Recording | Required for system audio capture. Without it, only microphone audio is recorded. |
If a permission is missing, the app shows a notification with a button to open System Settings directly to the correct privacy pane.
Keychain / Credential Storage
The desktop app stores your authentication tokens securely in your operating system's native credential manager:
| Platform | Storage |
|---|---|
| macOS | Keychain |
| Windows | Credential Manager |
| Linux | Secret Service (via libsecret) |
This means your login session is protected by the same security layer that guards your other passwords and secrets on the device. Tokens are never stored in plain-text files or in the browser.
On iPhone / macOS, the system may prompt you to allow Bob Studio to access the Keychain. This is expected — tap Allow (or Always Allow) to let the app save and retrieve your login tokens securely.
Because tokens are stored in the OS keychain, your session survives app restarts and updates without requiring you to log in again.
Updates
The desktop app checks for updates periodically in the background. When an update is available, a dialog appears with options to:
- Update now - Download and install the update, then restart
- Update later - Dismiss the notification (it will appear again later)
Update checks are disabled in development mode.
Context menu
The right-click context menu is disabled in the desktop app to provide a cleaner, more native experience. Text selection is also disabled on interactive elements (buttons, labels, navigation) across both web and desktop versions.